Vietnam group’s alleged Uniqlo crime spree highlights allure of Japan-made products

The incident highlights a growing trend of cross-border theft, driven by the allure of high-quality Japanese products, raising questions about the government’s trainee visa programme as well as concerns about security protocols.

Police in Fukuoka prefecture arrested four Vietnamese nationals who arrived in Japan in September and were allegedly tasked with stealing from multiple Uniqlo outlets, the Asahi newspaper reported on Tuesday. The suspects have not been named, but are in their 30s and 40s.

Sources told the Asahi that the four did not know each other, but all were connected to a Vietnamese woman in her 40s who allegedly directed their operations from Vietnam, giving instructions on the size and colours they should steal. The four people reportedly owed money to the woman, who has also not been named in the media, although an arrest warrant has been passed on to Vietnamese authorities.

The sources added that the group had visited Japan numerous times since 2018 and stolen from clothing stores in Tokyo, Fukuoka and the Kansai region of central Japan on 66 occasions.

Police allege they stole 5,237 items, including much sought-after down jackets, with a total retail value of 19.7 million yen (US$132,500).

Sources within the Vietnamese community in Japan said many of their compatriots who were in Japan on student or trainee visas made a little extra money on the side by buying products that were difficult to obtain in Vietnam and mailing them back home. That can cross the line into crime, however, when some realise just how much money can be made by sending stolen goods back to Vietnam.

And even though there are Uniqlo stores in Vietnam, and many of the products found on the stores’ shelves are actually made in the country,